Genetic code for dog and human parasite cracked

Scientists have mapped the genetic code of a parasite that infects young children and puppies worldwide, opening the door for new drugs and diagnostic tests for the disease it causes.
The parasite causes toxocariasis, a disease that mainly affects young children and is of worldwide socioeconomic importance as hundreds of millions of humans across the world are potentially exposed to the roundworm T canis, researchers said.
It can also be fatal to young puppies, especially if untreated, when hundreds of worms up to 15 centimetres in length can pack out the entire small intestines.
The parasite causes the condition toxocariasis when passed from infected dogs to humans through contact with faecal material, researchers said.

"When an animal excretes the worms' eggs in faeces, the eggs can spread," Professor Robin Gasser, from the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, said.
"This pathogen causes widespread outbreaks, predominantly in underprivileged communities and developing countries, so the more we know about these parasites the better equipped we are to combat their deadly effects," Gasser said.

The parasite is relatively well studied from a clinical perspective, but this is the first in-depth investigation of its molecular biology and will provide a useful resource for future molecular studies for this and other related parasites.
"Although this study focused on T canis, the findings and the technological approaches used should be readily applicable to a wide range of other ascaridoid nematodes (roundworms) of major animal and human health importance," Gasser said.

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.